Planet First Action

Described as every country's greatest resource by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres earlier this year, initiatives around education, training, and workforce development, and the country's investment in the "minds of its people", is of the utmost importance. And according to a McKinsey & Company report, the demand for skilled tradespeople in "US industry is projected to remain high due to infrastructure needs, a surge in real estate development, and the?energy transition", resulting already, in an increase of 20% of the sector's wages on average since 2020. The need for more talented tradespeople across the country could not be more clear. And it is going to require creative, innovative solutions, new public-private #partnerships, and #collaboration. And at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 14th, 2024 in Sheboygan WI, Rocket Academy Dual Credit Advanced Technology Center unveiled a solution addressing that very need, built with those specific inputs. Michele Carter, Administrator of the Division of Employment & Training for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, highlighted Governor Evers' description that 2024 is the "year of the worker", adding "to make sure we have a workforce ready for the 21st century", we must lean into partnerships. Rocket Academy Governance Council President Michael Dietrich, remarked of the launch of the first-of-a-kind school, that it has been a 'masterclass in collaboration'. Offering students the opportunity to learn in an entirely new way, leveraging the #technology of today, Rocket Academy uniquely offers high school students in the area the opportunity to learn in-demand trade skills and earn certifications, offering them even greater latitude and economic opportunity as they graduate. With incredible programs, like youth apprenticeships, led by organizations like CESA 6, Rocket Academy and partners across the state are leading the way in training the next generation of workers, and fulfilling the growing talent demanded by high-paying, family-sustaining #jobs. Gordon & Frost and Planet First Action congratulate the entire team behind the launch of this new institution, especially Lisa Geason-Bauer, Trained B Consultant who, leveraging two decades of experience in social sustainability, #workforce development, community engagement and marketing, has the unique capacity to strategize and execute collaboratively across the vibrant Wisconsin ecosystem she has helped cultivate. Congratulations to the students themselves, and the leaders at Rocket Academy driving success forward! David Friend, Director Nikki Kiss, Secretary of the Governance Council Board Members: Jamie Schramm Jonathan Feld Randall Kurth Gary Knaub Gregory Prahl Rachel Kroeplien, EdD Sign up at planetfirstaction.com to get more insights on the Rocket Academy, see more behind the scenes pictures from the ribbon cutting, and to learn about other leading organizations pioneering our collective path forward.

John Podesta, the Special Climate Envoy for the United States to the United Nations, remarked during this year's U.N Climate Change Conference (#COP29), that the 'work in the U.S. is going to continue with #commitment, #passion, and #belief'. That commitment, passion and belief - and the reality of that forward momentum - driven by leaders in both the public and private sector - was on full display here in the key state of Wisconsin yesterday, for the 17th annual Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference. From the next generation of leaders highlighting their efforts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to the veterans of the manufacturing industry helming 150+ year old institutions at the core of American industry like Kohler Co., to leading financial institutions like PACE Equity, LLC innovating new mechanisms to fund new infrastructure projects - from #dairy farmers to #carbon management solutions, the WSBC conference brings together stakeholders to drive business forward like few else can. Thank you to Founder Tom Eggert, to Managing Director Jessy Servi Ortiz, MBA, and former board member, planning committee member and recognized champion of the Wisconsin sustainability community - Lisa Geason-Bauer, Trained B Consultant for cultivating in Wisconsin an ecosystem that is propelling forward the entire state to create jobs, support communities, and build more resilient and profitable businesses. And for creating the space and opportunity for those leaders in the community to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing, this year at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. - Businesses like Artisan Dental, LLC - the first general dentistry in the U.S. to have carbon-negative operations. - Businesses like Purpose Design Co., harnessing industry experience and expertise to accelerate the commercialization of the next generation of companies, led by the incredible Sarah Berchild, Purpose Design Co - Businesses like KeenWorks, LLC and Keen Homes, led by Douglas B Johnson, Ph.D., building the future of dwellings as (efficient) sanctuaries. - Businesses like Cream City Conservation, led by the incredible, and award-winning founder August M. Ball, who is elevating the capabilities and building capacity for more effective leadership in large organizations, while simultaneously supporting youth from historically disadvantaged communities to enter the workforce in critical areas. Beyond private sector alone, Wisconsin also represents those leaders who are advancing the public-private partnerships that can transform and revitalize communities, and achieve #economic and #workforce development. Leaders like Stuart Carron, Director of Facilities for Milwaukee County, highlighting their Climate Action Plan and its guiding principles and strategies, and like Francisco Sayu, VP of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, highlighting the new Green Innovation Fund. Congratulations again to the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council!

'Breadmakers - from 30,000 units sold at $300, to 2,000,000 sold at $30.' Planet First Action is out in Wisconsin for the annual Wisconsin Sustainable Business Summit and Awards Ceremony. And the driver behind the radical change and success in just a few short years captured in that transformation, as highlighted Randy Bertram, the director of sustainability and operational excellence for WMEP Manufacturing Solutions as he received this year's prestigious Thomas L. Eggert Leadership Forward Award, was the relentless pursuit of efficiency and optimization of materials and labor. Randy added that that engineering-based approach and mentality is the exact same foundation that underpins modern #sustainability efforts from #LCA analysis to #supplychain resilience and more. And as she received her award and recognition for their dedication and Impact at Evolution Marketing, A Certified B Corp, Lisa Geason-Bauer, Trained B Consultant the founder and president, highlighted the critical yet often over-looked role of impact storytelling, and the importance of effective communications to successful and sustainable impact initiatives. That is the pairing that is so essential - the underlying operational efficiency, and the ability to communicate those plans and values effectively. And Lisa wins this award following decades of successful work driving forward sustainability and efficiency across the entire state of Wisconsin and the U.S. more broadly, with that common thread of effective communications and community engagement propelling forward #businessforgood and #workforce development. Planet First Action congratulates Randy Bertram, Lisa Geason-Bauer, and each of the finalists and awardees for this year's Sustainable Business Awards by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. Sustainable Leader Category Winner: Sandra Henry, President and CEO, Slipstream Runner Up: Russ Klisch, CEO of Lakefront Brewery Runner Up: Rachel J. Turgasen, MSPM, Senior Director at Foremost Farms USA Sustainable Product Category - 2024 Winner: Sabrina Schwietzer, Vice President at New Leaf Paper, Certified B Corporation + Public Benefit Company, - Runner Up: Roastar Innovative Service Category - Winner (Enterprise) Gundersen Health System - Winner (SME):Lisa Geason-Bauer, Trained B Consultant, Founder and President of Evolution Marketing, A Certified B Corp Thank you also to Jessy Servi Ortiz, MBA for her incredible leadership of the WSBC and for highlighting these leaders driving forward innovation, efficiency and sustainability on the frontlines across sectors. Thank you also to the presenters and sponsors for the night: Stephanie Krubsack, Founder and CEO of Purevant Living Brett Wetzel, VP of Sustainability and Innovation at U.S. Venture, Inc. Lands' End Milwaukee Tool EUA Mortenson Planet First Action and the team Gordon & Frost look forward to continued leadership and highlights from the frontlines during this year's summit! #sustainability #Impact

It's #election day! We cannot sit this one out - we must go and vote. Vote to protect our rights, our future, our families, and our planet. Everything we have been fighting for leads to this moment, and it will take each of us to go and vote to continue to drive forward. Catch up with Planet First Action's brief pre-election video below! https://lnkd.in/esB859pv #election2024 #Vote

Thank you to Kate Frucher, Managing Director and Co-Founder of The Clean Fight, Thatcher Bell, Program Director at The Clean Fight and to the entire Clean Fight and New Energy Nexus team for an incredible conclusion to this cohort and this week's Decarbonizing Food Service Summit. With NYC Chief Climate Officer Rohit Aggarwala's advisement, TCF tackled Food Service with this cohort, and had on display at this week's summit the highly integrated nexus point that it represents. Bringing together everything from Cold Chain and Fleet #Electrification, to Refrigeration and #Waste Management, to #HVAC and Heat Recovery, the Food Service nexus represents a conflation of various dynamics, sitting at a unique intersection point between the environment, society and the economy. And that combination increases the challenge and complexity of tackling decarbonization and sustainability for the sector, but also amplifies the impact that progress in this area will unlock. And as Linda Lam, PE, Director of Facilities Electrification for Walmart highlighted, the challenge truly isn't the engineering, the difficulty behind the challenge, especially with broad scale systemic change, stems from the fragmentation of the landscape, the different climate zones, utility grids, community and #workforce resources, and more. And in that context, Manuel A., VP of Supply Chain Electrification at Ndustrial highlighted the ever-present challenge in the minds of businesses, community leaders and public servants, especially with a sector addressing something as crucial as access to food - that the task at hand is advancing progress without excessive disruption of the functioning processes we depend on today. Thank you again to the New Energy Nexus and The Clean Fight, and to organization leaders like Steven Berkenfeld for another exceptional program, and bringing together leading innovators, #pilot partners and customer collaborators to accelerate the pace of deployment! Congratulations to each of the cohort companies and their representatives, who shared incredible insights and perspectives as to what are the successes to build upon, and the remaining obstacles to overcome: Katie Siegel, CEO & Co-Founder at Flipturn Manuel A., VP of Supply Chain Electrification at Ndustrial Joselyn Lai, Co-Founder and CEO at Bedrock Energy Air Water Global Lucas Tepman, CFO at GlacierGrid Matthew Kruse, Area General Manager for Blue Frontier, Inc. Javier Aleman, MBA, CEM, LEED AP, US Lead for Energy Machines? Thank you also to each of the customer collaborators for the program: Linda Lam, PE, Building Decarbonization at Walmart Alaina Scott, Global Product leader at Carrier Albertsons Companies Linnea Paton, CEM, Pilot and Emerging Tech Programs manager at Con Edison Matt Landin, VP, Energy, Asset Management at New York City Economic Development Corporation #NYC #CleanFirm #DeployDeployDeploy #ClimateFinance #Pilots NYSERDA U.S. Economic Development Administration Newlab

In one of the most consequential elections in history, be sure your voice is heard and your interests are represented. Our future is in all of our hands. Make a plan, and cast your vote this coming Tuesday. Find information on how to vote in the upcoming U.S. elections on November 5th at vote.gov (https://lnkd.in/eBxHD6nA) Planet First Action voted, be sure to engage your families and communities - we all need to vote - for action, for our planet, for our children, for our future. Vote early if you can, cast your vote this Tuesday, November 5th. Our future and our children depend on it! #elections #electionday #election2024 #vote

"The power of collaboration is really important, and the pursuit of responsible business is not a solitary practice". Fordham Gabelli School of Business Dean Lerzan Aksoy offered inspiration and strong call to collaborative action in kicking off The Responsible Business Center 's 2nd Annual Good Business Conference. A massive congratulations to Dean Aksoy, to Barbara Marie Porco, Associate Dean and the Managing Director of the Responsible Business Center and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, to Executive Director Leigh Anne Statuto, MBA, and to Director of Strategy, and Principal of the Lupoff/Stevens Family Office LLC, Peter Lupoff for an incredible event that fostered not just collaboration, but disciplinary and cross-stakeholder thought leadership and connections to propel forward the next generation of businesses and leaders. And that type of collaboration is more important than ever before, in context of the mega-trends of #climate change, #decarbonization and the #energy transition, and new advances in technologies like #AI and and #quantum computing. Managing and overseeing of $500 billion in AUM, Dave Stangis, Partner and Chief Sustainability Officer at Apollo Global Management, Inc., shared his perspective on the current economic picture, offering the frank message, highlighting the magnitude of the challenges and opportunities, that 'we are in the middle of an industrial renaissance, and every company is going to have to pivot to this new economy'. Dave Stangis shared his insight on how the world of public and private capital is changing, and offered this advice for businesses as it relates to an evolving regulatory landscape: that strategic plans should be designed to stay ahead of that curve and evolution, and principally designed as a competitive advantage. Jennifer Silberman, SVP, Chief Sustainability Officer at Dollar Tree Stores agreed and offered her insight - that new regulations are in many ways a 'blessing' for CSO's and these companies, providing tailwinds to move new transition initiatives forward, but also shared that stark reality that ultimately we are not moving fast enough. Rounding out that idea, and sharing from his leadership and work at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Al Iannuzzi, Estée Lauder's Vice President of Sustainability offered this key distillation - that when it comes to the future, and this ongoing 'industrial revolution', "If you want to be a successful business, you have to be a responsible business". And Peter Lupoff captured brilliantly one of the most important themes of that day at an event which brought together leading asset managers, investors, businesses, entrepreneurs, alongside the next generation of leaders graduating from Fordham University's many programs, a theme that everyone working in this space will do well to remember - that there is a key difference between "hope" and "optimism". And that we must have hope in order to envision the future we want, so that we may forge it.

"Pilots, Pilots, Pilots." Looking ahead to 2025, Julia R. G. Dombroski, PhD, advancing innovation for the National Offshore Wind Research & Development Consortium, highlighted last night one critical area to unlock further, for the success of not only #offshorewind, but for the #energytransition as a whole. New technologies and solutions - for everything from large-scale industrial to local residential, in everything from wave power to electric vehicle charging and beyond - depend on opportunities to pilot and demonstrate projects to enable financing and adoption. Central to success in closing those #commercialization gaps is #collaboration. New York City Economic Development Corporation is leading the way in advancing that type of public-private collaboration, with a focus on unlocking new innovative solutions in urban environments, especially with their landmark research and thought leadership specifically focused on piloting new technologies in New York City. In addition to cross-stakeholder collaboration, success also depends on international cooperation, and sharing of best practices and coordination of resources. And with that, it was excellent to advance those dialogues and opportunities with Nicholas Fidoe, the Head of Science and Innovation for British Consulate-General in New York, Andrew Perrella, Representative for JETRO - Japan External Trade Organization , and Jakob Louis Pedersen, Senior Commercial Advisor for the The Trade Council of Denmark in North America - Energy and Environment. International Collaboration not only fosters peace, security, stability, the achievement of sustainable development goals and the mission of the United Nations, at a sector and company level, that collaboration unlocks new markets, new resources, additional financing mechanisms, and of course, to what Julia R. G. Dombroski, PhD highlighted as an essential area - additional piloting opportunities. Within NYC itself, Newlab CEO Cam Lawrence and the team at Newlab embody and deploy that type of collaboration, with Cam recently sharing insights with Planet First Action specifically on the role of international partnerships and markets as we head into the #election here in the U.S. (Have a listen here: https://lnkd.in/g--DNHgV) The Planet First Action initiative and the team at Gordon & Frost look forward to continuing to advance collaboration and success with partners from across the world stage. #innovation #Cleanenergy #DeployDeployDeploy #CleanFirm #climatefinance #SDGs Urban Future Lab NYU Tandon School of Engineering Equinor Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office United Nations Foundation United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs UN Environment Programme UNDP New York Power Authority New York State Department of State Partnership for New York City Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation Newlab

Congratulations to Peace Boat and Peace Boat US for an excellent and thought-provoking event, striving toward it's stated goal of 'creating a climate of cooperation'. A mission its been on since its inception in 1983, that has in part earned its Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. Bringing together investors, scientists, innovators, ambassadors, leaders from public, nonprofit and private organizations and more.. and with Peace Boat itself representing and advocating for enhanced international collaboration, the convening drove at the center of what Satish Rao, Chief Product Officer of Newlab highlighted as the essential systems-level approach to retrofitting supply chains, value chains, and ultimately the sequencing of the #energytransition and #decarbonization. Ruben Escalante Hasbun, the Geneva Liaison for Global Citizen and the Ambassador for El Salvador to the United Nations spoke with Emilie McGlone, the Executive Director for Peace Boat and Ambassador of Blue Planet Alliance, sharing his perspective with regard to action toward each of the #SDGs, that part of the systemic solution is necessarily a focus on reducing the barriers for more people to have (and feel) agency in addressing the challenges of our time. The event covered everything from the role and impact of #art paired with #science (featuring the incredible and talented Zaria Forman and Gaelin Rosenwaks, Founder of Global Ocean Exploration), to the novel solutions being pioneered by innovators like Marci Zaroff, CEO of ECOfashion Corp and uyen tran, Founder and CEO of T?mTex Inc. to achieve sustainability, circularity, and efficiency within the #fashion industry with new sustainable materials, to the #financial innovation needed to create new forms of blended capital to close existing gaps, to youth leadership and more. Thank you again to Peace Boat Founder Tatsuya Yoshioka, to Peace Boat US executive director Emilie McGlone, and to Aaron Kinnari, Founder of Tectonic, and to each of the leaders who shared their insights on board: Diane Sheinberg, Senior Political Affairs Officer for the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs Ambassador Carlos Fuller of Belize Jean-Stéphane Naas, Offshore Wind Lead at the United Nations Global Compact Andrea Segura, Chargée at the Mission permanente de la France auprès des Nations unies Jeremy Raguain, Senior Program Officer of the IUCN Karuna Rana, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Big Ocean States Initiative (BOSI) and Partner at the Indian Ocean Commission Sarabeth Brockley, Senior Director at CarbonBetter Chris Dowd, Investor at the Collaborative Fund Matt Saunders, Managing Partner at New Earth Ventures Amrita Bhandari, Chief Strategy Officer at Acumen Laura Fox, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Streetlife Ventures Jay Lipman, Co-Founder of Ethic and Nature2 Richard Zimmerman, Partner at WE Family Offices and ED of Foundation House

This #Indigenous People's Day, there is so much to reflect on from a historical perspective. And as was highlighted extensively throughout the United Nations General Assembly and #NewYorkClimateWeek, our collective global society has so much still to learn from Indigenous Peoples to overcome the challenges we face today. And in many ways, our path forward depends on the Indigenous communities being afforded the recognition, rights, and respect that they deserve. And with that, Planet First Action is deeply grateful for Pyxera Global's incredible work in this area, and the platform they created with their excellent climate week event to highlight those leaders and insights from the indigenous community in particular. Atossa Soltani, the director of Global Strategy at the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative (Alianza Cuencas Sagradas) shared her personal journey, how she came to be deeply passionate and embedded in the protection of the #Amazon rainforest, and importantly - represented the example of what it takes to #protect and #preserve the communities and ecosystems vital to our future. #Cooperation among local communities, and the fostering of alliances, and the collaboration of external partners who can help facilitate regenerative practices that are financially sustainable in today's world. And most importantly, Dr. Soltani highlighted that critical mental shift, and the return to the perspective of being good ancestors to future generations. And Dr. Philbert Aaron, the permanent representative of the Government of Dominica to the United Nations, highlighted the Carib people, also known as the Kalinago, who are the indigenous people of Dominica and the last remaining pre-Columbian Carib community in the #Caribbean. Reflecting on the devastation of Hurricane David, Dr. Aaron offered the example of invaluable ancestral knowledge passed down through indigenous communities - as the modern steel structures crumbled in the storm, the indigenous hut survived and remained standing. Dr. Aaron pivoted that example to the call to action for today's leaders and communities - that we must not only embrace our history, our peoples, and the indigenous knowledge that has been passed down, but we must also accelerate the speed of learning. While the environment continues to send us cues, we too, as a global society, have that ability to send cues with our actions to our leaders. And as Dr. Aaron explained, many can look to the leaders of the small island developing nations as examples of what #ClimateLeadership can look like. Thank you again to John Holm and the entire Pyxera team for an incredible event! #ClimateFinance #SummitForTheFuture #UNGA #ClimateWeekNYC #SDGs #SustainableDevelopment UNDP UN Environment Programme UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) The White House Newlab Metabolic Open Earth Foundation Pyxera Global Dark Matter Labs Climate-KIC One Earth Dominica CBIU National Bank of Dominica Ltd. Invest Dominica Authority